Forgotten Wars of the 19th and 20th Centuries Quiz

Answer: Whites

The Russian empire was a far flung entity and started to disintegrate similarly to what would happen later with the end of the Communist rule. Added to that were the anti-communist forces aided by other countries, such as Poland, Britain and Japan, which feared the spread of Marxism. There were many rebellious factions, such as the Green Army, Black Army, and Cossacks; but the main threat was the White Army that captured large swaths of territory.

Although royalists opposed the Red Army, they were only part of the rebellion. Leon Trotsky, even though he was later exiled, was a loyal Communist and People's Commissar for War (1918-25).

Answer: USA and Canada

The Pig War occurred in the San Juan Islands, which are in the northwest corner of the state of Washingtoon lying in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The existing treaty between the U.S. and Canada defined the northern border, but ownership of these islands depended where mid-channel of the Strait of Juan de Fuca fell.

An American farmer had shot the foraging pig of a British farmer, who called in British authorities. Both sides started to send in troops, until they agreed to have a small force from both countries share control until the dispute was resolved. Twelve years later the territorial dispute was resolved by arbitration led by Kaiser Wilhelm I.

Answer: Boer War

Mafeking was a key railroad town in South Africa, which endured a 217 day siege by Afrikaner forces between October 1899 and May 1900. The defense of Mafeking was led by Robert Baden-Powell. He gathered a group of 12-15 year old cadets to perform some non-combatant military roles and used natives alongside British troops. British forces breaking through to end the siege turned out to be a turning point in the Boer War.

Baden-Powell returned to England as a great hero and went on the start the Boy Scouts.

Answer: Finland and the Soviet Union

Three months after World War II started the Soviet Union demanded that Finland cede land to protect Leningrad. Finland, which once had been under Russian control, rejected those demands and fought against the invasion. The Soviet Union had a 3-1 manpower advantage, 30-1 aircraft advantage, and 300-1 tank advantage.

The Finns provided resolute resistance for about six months before being overwhelmed.

Answer: Ethiopia

The first Abyssinian War (1895-1896) resulted in a humiliating defeat for Italy. At this time Italy already controlled its colony of Eritrea and part of Somalia. Capture of Ethiopia would give it control of most of the Horn of Africa. The Ethiopian resistance force was poorly armed and no match for the superior weaponry of the Italians. Emperor Haile Selassie's forces were defeated and he made his way to England.

As noted, Italian Somalia was already an Italian colony. Libya,the scene of Roman battles against Carthage, had been annexed by Italy before World War 1.

Answer: Bolivia

Peru and Bolivia fought Chile in the Pacific War (1879-83), mainly over control of the mineral rights to the Atacama Desert. Chile defeated both nations and the treaty caused Bolivia to cede its seaports to Chile, although Chile was required to build a railroad to allow Bolivian access to these ports.

Paraguay and Laos, although both landlocked, have been that way for a long time. Uruguay has access to the sea.

Answer: Nigeria

Colonial powers established territories in Africa based on geographical features, oftentimes combining rival peoples into a single colony. When the African people regained control of the new nations, quite often this led to power struggles among the various groups. This was accentuated by the fact that the colonial powers had often favored one group and added to natural hostilities.

A prime example of this was the nation of Nigeria, which faced geographic, religious, and tribal divides. Nigeria itself had become an independent nation in 1960, and the uneasy alliance between groups came asunder with a pair of coups in 1965-1966. The Igbo attempted to form a more homogeneous state, and of course the fact that the majority of the Nigerian oil was in that area didn't hurt. It's estimated that over two million civilians died in the conflict through warfare and starvation.

Answer: Philippines

The Huks began as group to improve the lot of peasants in the Philippines. After Japan invaded the Philippines, the Huks led the resistance to Japanese rule. After liberation of the islands, they continued to resist governmental control and later accepted aid from Communist groups. Eventually President Ramon Magsaysay reached a accommodation that led to a reduction and ultimately cessation of hostilities.

The Philippines later fought a second revolutionary group, the Moros.

Greece and Malaya (now Malaysia) suffered from Communist insurgency also after World War II, but from different groups.

Answer: Canada

Like the United States at this time Canada was expanding. The so-called prairie provinces were still territories controlled by the Hudson Bay Company. The inhabitants of these territories were primarily the native "First Nation" and the mixed race descendants of trappers (primarily French), known as metis.

They were significantly different in ethnic background, language, and religion from the majority of Canadians; and tensions flared as anglophones from Ontario started to settle. The Red River Rebellion turned out to be a minor dispute that led to the establishment of the province of Manitoba. Riel was elected to the Canadian Parliament, but never served, and eventually moved to Montana where he became an American citizen.

However he later moved back to Canada and started the Northwest Rebellion in what is now Saskatchewan. For his role in that he was hanged.

He remains a controversial figure in Canadian politics, and is a hero to many French separatists.

Answer: Quemoy

After the overthrow of the Nationalist government, Chang Kai Shek and his followers retreated to Taiwan and some offshore islands. China has claimed these islands and attempted through political and threatened military actions to enforce its claim.

Quemoy and neighboring Matsu island are about five miles from mainland China and were subjected to shelling.